Pneumatic elevator



Jan. 11 1927.

1,614,160 E. L. SOLAND PNEUMATI C ELEVATOR Filed April 15, 1926 Sneets-Sheet 1 ji mma m/ Jan; 11 1927.

E. L. SCLAND PNEUMATIC ELEVATOR fimersonljmlmyfoland C no Patented Jan. 11, 1927.

U NIT S TAT ES PATENT orator;

EMERSON LINDSAY SQLAN'D, OF WELLS, IVL'INNESOTA, ASSIGNOR. OF- ONE-THIRD TO JOSEPH KASPERALS, G WELLS. IV[3II TIQ'ESOTA..AND OIQ'E TJ-IIRD TO \VILLIA'M- L.

HINTZ, OF ALDEN, MINNESOTA.

PNEUMATIC ELEVATOR.

Application filed Apri1z15, 1926.. SerialNo. 102.211.

My invention provides an extremely simple and highly efiicient pneumatic. elevator adapted-for the elevation of various different kinds of materials, but particularly adapted for. the elevation of wheat, oats andother grain from the ground into silos or. elevated bins, Generally stated, the, invention consists of the novel devices,combinations of devices and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and'defined in the claims.

This improved pneumatic elevator employsa fan or blower, feed devices, and a pneumatic stack, in such arrangement that the elevated grain or.- materialdoes not pass through the fan and, hence, is not subject to impact from the blades thereof, but willbe delivered into the blast' from the fan in a very effectual way and by novel means.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring tothe drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan viewof: the improved machine or device;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 33-of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4. is aperspective of the feed roll removed from position.

In the machine illustrated, the parts of the elevator are mounted on the framework 5 of a truck equipped with wheels 6 by means of which. it may be conveniently moved from place to place. The grain. or material to be elevated will be delivered into a receiving; hopper. 7 extended upward from the rear end of a horizontal: disposed feed tube 8, preferably of sheet metal. The frontendof this feed tube is closed, but adjacent its closed end it is provided at its top with a large discharge 1 passage 9. \Vorking in the feed; tube. 8 is a spiral conveyoror feed screw 10 shown as journaled at its front end in a bearing 11 secured on the bottom of the feed tube. At its rear end, the shaft of the feed screw 10 is journaled in a bearing 12 secured; to the rear end of the hopper and provided at: its outer end with a driving pulley 13. Mounted to work in the delivery end of the feed tube 8, close to the closedend thereof and under the forwardportion of the delivery passage 9, is an elevating roll ldhaving'lifting cleats or 'flanges'lo. This roll 1 1 is secured'tothe intermediate portion of a transverse countershaft 16, which, at one. side of the ma chine, isequipped with a. pulley 17. and at the other side of the machine is equipped with a bevel gear 18, the feed shaft being journaled in suitable bearings 19 secured to and depending from the truck frame 5.

The fan or blowercomprises a casing. 20 and blade-equipped rotary head21. The fan case 20 is located forward of. the hopper 7 anddirectly over the feed tube 8 and it' is provided with a discharge throat or extended tubular portion 22 that leads directly to the horizontally extended lower end portion 23 of the pneumatic stack or elevating tube. This pneumatic stack may be of anysuitable construction and, at. its upper end, may have any suitable delivery device, but, as shown, it. comprises an upright. portion 2 1 terminating in a discharge end 25. is important to note that the throat 22 and lower approximately horizontalportion 23 of the stack are extended immediately over and. approximately paralleltothe delivery end portionof the feed tube 8 and that the feed passage 9 opens directly into the bottom of the horizontal throat-forming portion of the fan casing. The throat-forn'iing portion of the fan case is treated asthat portion that extends to and over the elevating roll 1d. The importance of this relation will be noted in the description of the operation.

For varying the blast fromthe fan, an adjustable gate or damper 26 is hinged in the throat. 22 and, as shown, is provided with a notched latch bar 27 engageable with an edge portion 28 of the throat-forming tube to hold said gate in various different adjustments.

The blade-equipped fan head 21 is, secured to a transverse fan shaft 29v shown as journaled in suitable bearings 30 on the elevated port-ion 5 of the truck frame and, at one outer end, said shaft is provided with a pulley 31.

All of the running parts of this device are preferably driven from a motor such as a multi-cylinder internal combustion en- Here it gine 32 mounted on a raised frame portion 33 shown as secured on the front portion of the truck frame 5. The crank shaft of this engine, at one end, is shown as provided with a fly wheel 34 and at its other end with a driving pulley 35. A belt 36 runs over a pulley 35 and over a pulley 37 secured on a transverse countershait 38 mounted on suitable bearings 39 on the truck frame 5. Mounted on the shaft 38 is a relatively large loose pulley a and a smaller loose pulley 41. The pulley 4.0 is adapted to be connected to the shaft 38 for rotation therewith by a sliding half-clutch 42, and the pulley 41 is adapted to be connected to the shaft 38 for rotation therewith by a sliding halfclutch 43. A belt 44 runs over the pulleys 81 and 40 to transmit motion to the fan head; and the belt it runs over the pulleys 17 and 41 to transmit motion to the elevating roll 1 1. Advisably, the connections described are such that the fan head will be given appr Ximately twelve hundred revolutions per minute, and the elevating roll 14 will be given approximately eight hundred revolutions per minute.

The bevel gear 18 on the shaft 16 of the elevatorroll 14 meshes with a bevel gear 46 on the front end of a longitudinal shaft 17 journaled in suitable bearings on the truck frame and provided at its frontwith a driving pulley 48. A. belt 19 runs over the pulley 418 and over the pulley 13 to impart rotary movement to the feed screw at a speed much lower than that of the feed roll.

In the top of the delivery end of the throat 22 is an open ng 50 normally closed by a slide 51. This opening 50 atiords means for observing the action of the device or for dislodging any material that might be caught in the throat.

Operation.

The gra'n or material to be elevated will be dumped or delivered into the hopper 7 and, by the feed screw 10, will be kept crowded against the elevating roll 14. This elevating roll will be rotated in a clockwise direction in respect to 2, and at such high speed that the grain will be thrown in a sort of shower upward through the passage 9 and directly into the blast from the fan. his blast from the fan will be delivered horizontally or d'reetly across the feed passage 9 and into the receiving portion 23 of the pneumatic stack and, hence, the grain caught by the blast will be directly shot into and carried upward through the pneumatic stack to the point of d'scharge at the upper end 25 of the stack.

The elevation of different kinds of grain or material will require differently regulated blasts, and this may be controlled by adjustments of the gate 26. It is important to note that adjustments of the gate 26 do not change the relation of the lower port'on of the fan throat in respect to the delivery end portion and passage 9 of the feed tube, but varies the size of the throat opening by obstructing more or less of the upper portion thereof.

Inasmuch as the grain does not at any time come in contact with the blades of the fan head, it is not subjected to the cracking or breaking action thereof, and the grain will be elevated without damage and, moreover, under a minimum of friction.

Obviously, the arrangement described is capable of modificat on within the scope of the invention as herein disclosed and claimed.

hat I claim is:

1. A pneumatic elevator comprising a feed tube. closed at its extreme delivery end but having a discharge passage adjacent thereto, a fan having a discharge throat extended approximately parallel to the delivery end of said feed tube and joined thereto by the feed passage of the latter, a stack extended from said feed throat, and an elevating roll working in the delivery end of said feed tube and arranged to throw the grain through the feed passage thereof into said feed throat. V

2. A pneumatic elevator comprising a feed tube closed at its extreme delivery end but having a discharge passage adjacentthereto, a fan having a discharge throat extended approximately parallel to the delivery end of said feed tube and joined thereto by the feed passage of the latter, a stack extended from said feed throat, an elevating roll working in the delivery end of said feed tube and arranged to throw the grain through the feed passage thereof into said feed throat, and a gate in said feed throat for regulating the blast from the fan.

3. A pneumatic elevator comprising an approximately horizontal feed tube closed at its extreme delivery end, a fan having a casing formed with a discharge throat joined with and extended approximately parallel with the top of the delivery end of said feed tube, a feed passage connecting the top of the delivery end of said feed tube to the bottom of the throat of the fan casing, an elevating roll working in the delivery end of said feed tube and arranged to throw the gran or material upward through said feed passage into said feed throat, a pneumatic stack leading from said feed throat. and means for feeding material through said feed tube and to said elevating roll.

l. The structure defined in claim 3 in further combination with a gate adjustably. mounted in the upper portion of the feed throat of the fan casing.

5. The structure defined in claim 3 in which said feed tube at its receiving end is in the form of a hopper. I

6. The structure defined in claim 3 in which the means for feeding material in said feed tube is in the form or" a spiral screw terminated rearward of said elevating roll.

7. The structure defined in claim 3 in which said feed roll is formed with lifting flanges and is rotated in a direction to throw the engaged material directly upward through said feed passage.

8. The structure defined in claim 3 in 10 further combination with a gate adjustably mounted in the upper portion of the feed throat of the fan casing and in which said feed throat, forward of said gate, has a normally closed cleanout passage.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

EMERSON LINDSAY SOLAND. 

